Novara sits in or near the Po Valley in northern Italy, a flat river basin with a humid subtropical climate where persistent autumn rain and occasional intense summer thunderstorms both contribute to significant flood risk.
In eastern Piedmont near the Po Valley, the city’s flat rice-growing plain depends on extensive canal drainage during heavy rain. The Po River and its many tributaries drain this densely populated plain, and because the terrain is so flat, sustained rain can raise river levels for days even after a storm has passed, making radar an important complement to river-gauge monitoring. Learn more: Flash Flood Warning Signs on Radar · Open the full Rain Map